Commissioner of Agriculture candidates share concerns about Trump admin beef import plan

MONTGOMERY, Ala. (WSFA) - The candidates running for Alabama’s Commissioner of Agriculture and Industries are weighing in on President Trump’s decision to pause tariffs on imported beef.

Starting Sept. 1, the United States will import 300,000 metric tons of tariff-free beef.

The move is meant to lower costs, but there are also concerns that it could hurt Alabama beef producers.

READ MORE: Alabama cattleman raise concern over federal tariff-free beef imports

“We’ve got to tell the administration to put Alabama farmers first,” said Corey Hill, republican candidate for commission of agriculture and industries. “Have a conversation with them, see what they need, see what benefits them the most, and try to work a plan to get more Alabama and U.S. food on the plates of consumers.”

Hill, a cattle producer in northern Alabama, said he does not want the government to involve itself in the marketplace.

He applauded President Trump’s desire to lower prices but said the move puts cattle farmers in an uncertain market.

“We just got to convince our consumers to buy U.S. and buy Alabama-grown food, if we can do that, then this other stuff is not going to matter,” he said. “The Alabama farmer is protected, and the consumer is getting a good-quality product that they know is local.”

The Trump administration’s announcement did not specify where the meat will be coming from, or how/if it would undergo additional testing.

“I wanted to make sure that what you eat and what your family eats and the people of Alabama, what they eat is safe and I have concerns about that,” said Ron Sparks, democratic candidate for commissioner of agriculture and industries. “I haven’t heard one word out of the administration saying they’re going to test it 100% to make sure that it is safe.”

Sparks, a former two-term agriculture commissioner said he is worried about potential chemicals in the meat that are not up to typical U.S. standards.

“Farmers are struggling in Alabama,” he said. “They’re struggling for a number of reasons, whether it be the cost of fertilizer, fuel, a number of inputs that farmers are struggling and they don’t need this at this point in time.”

On Monday, Rep. Shomari Figures, D-AL-02, sent a letter to House Agriculture Committee Chairman Glenn Thompson to request a hearing about the imported beef, calling it in part “a move that provides minimal to no relief to consumers while harming the long-term viability of local cattle farmers.”

In a statement last week, Sen. Katie Britt, R-Alabama, said, “importing more foreign beef comes at the expense of our cattlemen, who are critical to both affordable and sustainable food supplies.”

More information about locally grown products can be found on Sweet Grown Alabama’s website.

Not reading this story on the WSFA News App? Get news alerts FASTER and FREE in the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store!